Front fall for upright pianos.



No. 802,757. PATENTED 001?. 24, 1905 0 HERMANSON. FRONT FALL FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 31,1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL HERMANSON, OF DERBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE STER- LING CO., OF DERBY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

FRONT FALL FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed July 81, 1905. Serial No. 272,072-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL HERMANSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Derby, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Front Falls for Upright Pianos; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a broken top or plan view of a portion of an upright-piano case constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a transverse sectional view of the same, showing the fall in a closed position; Fig. 3, a similar view with the fall in the open position.

This invention relates to an improvement in front falls for upright pianosthat is, the cover for the keysand particularly to that class in which the front fall folds against the back fall and below the shelf. general construction of falls for this style of pianos the rear section or hinge-piece slides rearwardly into the case; but in musical instruments in which the pneumatic playing instrumentality is arranged in the piano-case and above the keyboard it lies in the path of the hinge-strip and must therefore be raised above the line of the hinge-strip or else the case made so deep as to be objectionable.

The obj eet of this invention is to so connect the rear portion of the fall or hinge-strip with the back fall that it -may be swung beneath the back fall without binding, and yet not extend to any objectionable extent beyond. the inner face thereof; and the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularlyrecited in the claims.

In illustrating my invention I show so much of a piano as is necessary for a clear understanding of my invention, 2 representing the back fall, 3 the rear section or hinge-piece of the fall, and 4 the usual front fall, which is curved at its outer end to set down over the piano-keys. At the rear edge at each end of the hinge-strip is a slight projection or lug 5, which strikes stops 6, arranged on the side uprights 7 of the piano-case. Secured to the back of the back fall near the top is a wire 8, the wire extending nearly across the width of the back fall and secured thereto by blocks 9,

In the moremore or less in number, as may be required to support the wire, which is free to rock in its supports. Beyond the end supports the wires are bent down, forming arms 10, which when the fall is in its closed position lie substantially parallel with the rear face of the back fall 2. The ends 11 of the wires extend forward beneath the back fall and by a sharp bend into engagement with the lugs 5. The ends of the wires being arranged at the extreme ends of the back fall will clear the pneumatic instrumentalities which, as a rule, do not extend to the extreme sides of the case.

In operation to open the piano the front fall 4 is raised so as to clear the keys and then forced backward, which forces the hinge-strip 3 rearward beneath the back fall, and when it has reached the limit of its rearward movement the fall 4 is then turned upward against the face of the back fall and as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. It will thus be seen that provision is made for opening a piano to the desired extent and Without causing any portion of the fall to extend inward beyond the inner wall of the back fall, and as the wire is in a single piece the hinge-piece will swing evenly and not bind at the ends.

Having fully described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with an upright-piano case comprising a back fall, a front fall formed in two parts, wires connecting the rear part or hinge-piece with the back fall said wires extending from the top of the back fall downward and into engagement with the rear ends of the hinge-strip, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an upright-piano case comprising a back fall, of a front fall formed in two parts, a wire connecting the rear part or hinge-piece with the back fall said wire hinged to and extending across the top of the back fall downward and into engagement with the rear ends of the hingestrip, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses CARL HEBMANSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. HUBBELL, RAYMOND CHRISTENSEN. 

